Lever-actuated pivoted-jaw wrench



F. A. sNELL. 2,420,020

LEVER-ACTUATED PIVOTED-JAW WRENCH Filed Dec. 9, 1944 required distance to cause them to fit a nut or other object.

In its open position, the wrench is shown in Fig. 2, wherein it -will be noted that the actuating handle has been swung angularly away from the nxed handle part and the gripping surface 20 of the movable jaw 40 is angularly positioned with respect to the gripping face 1 of the stationary jaw. To bring the movable jaw into gripping position, at a distance from the iixed jaw as determined by the adjustment secured by the toothed engagement of the worm 36 and segment 33, merely requires the actuating handle 23 to be swung toward the handle 5to theV limit of its movement in that direction. As the actuating handle 23 is swung toward the handle part 5, the angular face portion 50 of the aperture 49, engages against a toe 5l provided on the link 44, moving said link inwardly on its pivot 45 and causing it to swing the movable jaw 40 on its pivot 4| to bring its gripping surface 20 into parallelism with the gripping surface 1 of the stationary jaw. This toggle arrangement is such that when the movable jaw has reached a position wherein it has its gripping surface parallel to that of the stationary jaw, a position past dead center has been reached, as seen in Fig. l, and the parts are locked in clamping position.

To free an object clamped between the jaws of the wrench merely requires that the actuating handle 23 be swung away from the handle part 5, or outward for a relatively short distance as shown in Fig. 2. At the beginning of this movement, the links 44 and 46 will break at the pivot pin 45, or assume an angular position with respect to one another, as shown in Fig. 2, causing a pull to be exerted on the pivot 42 and causing the movable jaw to be swung on the pivot 4l to move it to an angular or open position, thus freeing the clamped object.

It is to be noted that the movable jaw can be repeatedly swung to open position by move.. ment of the actuating lever and each time that it is returned to closed position it will not only be halted at the point where its gripping face is in parallelism to the gripping face of the stationary jaw, but it will be halted at the position determined by the adjustment that is controlled by the meshed engagement of the adjusting means 34 and 36. Thus, the wrench can be opened and closed repeatedly on the same object or on another object of similar size merely by operation of the actuating handle 23 and without requiring any change of its adjusted setting.

The toggle connection between the actuating handle 23 and the two jaws is such that the angular movement required of the handle to swing the movable jaw away from the stationary jaw is considerably reduced as compared to other wrenches of this general character, thus enabling the wrench to be very conveniently operated with a minimum of exertion on the part of the user.

What I claim is: Y

l. A tool of the character described comprising, a frame having a stationary jaw, a pivoted adjustment member mounted inthe frame, a movable jaw pivotally connected to one end of the adjustment member, means for threadably engaging the other end of the adjustment member to cause it to move the movable jaw to or from the stationary jaw, an actuating handle pivotally attached to the movable jaw, a link having one end pivoted to the movable jaw and its second end pivotally attached to a second link, the other "4 end of the second link being pivotally attached to the frame, the actuating handle having an aperture within which the first link is disposed and which has a surface operative upon said link to cause pivotal movement of the movable jaw when the actuating handle is swung to or from the frame. l

2. A tool of the character described comprising, a frame having spaced walls, an adjusting lever pivoted between the walls, the frame having a stationary jaw portion, a movable jaw pivoted to the adjusting lever and being pivotally connected by a pair of pivotally-joined links to the frame, an actuating lever pivotally attached to the movable jaw and apertured to embrace one of the links and operative on said link to cause pivotal movement of the movable jaw when the actuating handle is swung to or from the frame.

3. A tool of the character described comprising, a frame having a stationary jaw, a link pivotally secured at one end to the frame, a second link piv otally connected to the other end of the first link, a movable jaw mounted in the frame and pivotally attached to the second link, and an actuating handle pivotally secured at one of its ends to the movable jaw and provided with an aperture embracing the second link, said aperture having surfaces operative with respect to the linkage to cause pivotal movement of the movable jaw when the actuating handle is swung to or from the frame, and means for adjusting the position of the movable jaw relative to the fixed jaw.

4, A tool as called for in claim 3, wherein the means for adjusting the position of the movable jaw consists in a lever pivoted in the frame and having one end pivotally secured to the movable jaw and its other end toothed, and a spirally threaded member for manual rotation mounted in the frame and in engagement with the toothed end portion of the lever.

5. A tool of the character described comprising, a frame having a stationary jaw provided with a gripping face, a vpivotally movable jaw mounted in the frame and movable into or out of parallelism with respect to the stationary jaw and also provided with a gripping face, an apertured actuating handle pivotally attached to the movable jaw, a plurality of joined and pivoted links connected end-to-end and extending between the movable jaw and the frame, at least one of said links being located in the aperture in the handle means by which movement of the actuating handle toward the frame will operate the linkage connection between the movable jaw and the frame to cause the jaw to be swung to bring its gripping face into parallelism with the gripping face of the stationary jaw.

6. In a tool of the character described, a frame having spaced walls and a stationary jaw, a movable jaw disposed between the walls, an adjusting member pivoted between the walls, said member being in toothed engagement with a. manually rotative worm, a pair of links joined end-toend, one end of the joined linkage being pivoted between the walls and the other end being pivotally secured to the movable jaw, an actuating handle pivoted at one end to the movable jaw and having an aperture embracing one of the links in the linkage, the connection between the parts being such that swinging movement of the actuating handle in a direction away from the frame will pivot the movable law in a direction away from the xed jaw and movement of said handle toward the frame will, when said linkage is moved past a dead center position, halt the movable jaw at a position parallel to the stationary jaW.

7. A tool of the character described comprising, a frame having a stationary jaw, said frame having a portion of channel shape, a lever pivoted at its substantially central point in the channel-shape portion of the frame, one end of said lever being segmentally toothed, arotatable, spirally-threaded element mounted in the frame and in adjustable engagement with the toothed end of the lever, a movable jaw having an end portion pivotally attached to the second end of the lever, said movable jaw having a second end portion pivotally attached to one end of a link of substantially bell-crank shape, said bell-crank link being pivotally secured at its substantially central point at one end of a second link, the second link having its other end pivotally secured in thechannel portion of the frame, an actuating handle pivoted at one of its ends to the movable jaw at a lpoint located between the attachment of said jaw to the lever and its attachment to the bell-crank link, the actuating handle having an aperture in which the bellcrank link is conined, said bell-crank link having an arm operative against an edge of the actuating handle dening the aperture, to cause pivotal movement of the movable jaw when the actuating handle is swung to or from the frame.

8. A tool of the character described comprising, a frame having a stationary jaw portion, an adjusting lever pivotally attached to the frame, a movable jaw pivoted to the adjusting lever and being connected by a pair of pivotally-joined links to the frame, an actuating handle pivotally attached at one of its ends to the movable jaw and having an aperture through it near said pivotal connection, said aperture conning one of the links within it and being operative on said link to cause pivotal movement of the movable jaw when the actuating handle is swung to or from the frame.

9. A tool of the character described, as -provided for in claim 8, wherein the link conned in the aperture in the actuating handle is of bellcrank shape and has an arm portion operative i REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Olson Aug. 24, 1943 Number 

